Marijuana Legality Gets Hazy For Colleges

States that have legalized the recreational use of marijuana are struggling to separate state regulation from federal law, which still classes the drug as illegal.

Lawsuits are starting to pop up in Colorado as U.S. citizens and neighboring state governments argue that legalization of recreational marijuana is against federal law; but now higher education is starting to question where to draw the line between state and federal rules.

Conflicting Policy

Schools in Colorado, Washington state and Oregon are struggling to re-write their student conduct policies in order to protect the federal funding they receive.

Since the universities are entitled to federal money, they are required to comply with federal law, which considers marijuana an illegal substance. However, students over 21 are still able to purchase the drug without issue.

Prohibiting Pot

Most colleges are working to inform their student body that even though the drug has been legalized state-wide, it is still prohibited on campus.

University deans in Oregon have already begun preparing marketing campaigns to prevent an influx of marijuana on campus once the drug becomes legal for recreational sale in July.

Related Link: How Long Can The Federal Government Ignore Marijuana Policy?

Blurred Lines

However there are still some grey areas that these schools are questioning. For one, colleges will have little or no control over marijuana use in off-campus housing, which could create an issue for fraternities and sororities whose houses are not on the school campus, but are still associated with the university.

Medical marijuana is also a factor, some schools are rewriting their student conduct code to prohibit recreational marijuana use but allow medical usage.

Safe Use

Even more concerning is the issue of safe usage education. While most agree that education regarding proper use of marijuana is necessary in those states where the drug is legal, the schools say it can be difficult to promote safe usage while also banning the substance on campus.